Eugen Sandow

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1867-1925

The “father of modern bodybuilding,” Sandow first became a phenom by displaying his muscles at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. However, strongmen could not only be strong at that point in history, so he also enthralled audiences by wrapping chains around his chest and breaking them. After his sideshow antics got people saying his name, Sandow moved on to promoting bodybuilding. He held the first major bodybuilding contest called the “Great Competition” at the Royal Albert Hall on September 14, 1901. Just think, without him, the world would never know the Founding Fathers of Beefcake: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno and Roland Kickinger.